By Chuck Blanchard
When I was a kid I used to play cowboys and Indians and sometimes I played the Indian and sometimes I played the cowboy. Does that make me a racist?
When I was in school I had the opportunity to sing a song as if I was an Indian. Does that make me a racist?
Hardly.
Canadians have a worldwide reputation as tolerant and accepting people. It’s so interesting to see this whole issue being blown out of proportion.
This rant over Justin Trudeau‘s blackface is hilarious. The LA Times seemed to be more concerned
about where his hands were placed…. “Oh my! Was he touching that woman?” Call the Me Too
movement!
The journalists seem to think that by concentrating on this they can ignore the more pressing issues of the day regarding political policies and their impact on Canadians.
What about political positions on pipelines, overspending, trade balances, immigration and more? These are the issues that are pressing down on all Canadians regardless of race, ethnic background or social status.
Last week I went to the doctor's office. The waiting room was full as usual. The conversation got around to what’s going on in Canada, farming and working and living in Alberta. The age range for the folks there ranged from a little lady of 90-plus years to a younger fellow about 45 or 50.
While there were various opinions on the current government situation, the issue of Justin Trudeau and his blackface photos seemed to create a lot of amusement and doubt as to why it seemed to be so important.
It reinforced my general view that we really are a tolerant and accepting people, even when we don’t necessarily agree with the political views of another person.
It was very refreshing to have this conversation in an age where people are unfriending their friends on Facebook because they disagree with their views.
Personally I don’t care what happened to Justin during his time as a teacher and as a youth. It’s
irrelevant. Am I a supporter of his? Absolutely not.
Let’s get back to the reality of what is important. Hopefully the media can ask some intelligent questions and act as journalists rather than as gossip columnists. Fake news comes in many forms. Enough already!
Chuck Blanchard has been an Innisfail resident for 11 years and is a former two-term mayor of Invermere, B.C.
